News-Antique.com - Apr 13,2009 - (West Palm Beach, FL) The renovation of the entry courtyard to a “garden” atmosphere was well received by both attendees and dealers according to show co-owner and promoter Yvonne Tucker. The new early admission policy instituted for the first time at the April 3 show was also a hit and will be in place for the next Festival May 1-3. The new policy allows entry to the show from 9:00AM to Noon on opening day prior to the normal opening time of 12:00 to get a jump on the freshest merchandise. The new owners, Yvonne and Jim Tucker and Kay and Bill Puchstein, continue to adjust the details of the Festival to enhance the experience for both visitors and dealers and expect to make changes throughout the year.

The casual atmosphere of the West Palm Beach Antiques festival always encourages interaction between guests and the large number of really interesting dealers. One of the most interesting participants in this congenial repartee is Steve Allred, owner of Palm Beach Restoration Studios. Allred is a member of both the American Institute for Conservation and the UKIC. While Allred’s personal restoration specialty is high end porcelain Palm Beach Restoration Studios works with a network of competent and qualified restoration professionals who cover a broad range of specialties including furniture, oil paintings, art and almost any other category of antiques and collectibles. These artisans and artists combine traditional techniques with the latest technology of the trade.

In the Palm Beach Restoration booth Allred displays examples of the network’s finished products as well as accepting new projects for completion before the next event so a customer can pick up the restored work on the next trip to the Festival. He also supervises the on-site repair of glass and crystal in the booth.

One of the challenges of the profession that Allred enjoys is keeping up with the deluge of new techniques and products that enter the marketplace on a constant basis. Allred attends a forum or product demo at least once a month and whenever possible takes the initiative to be on the ground floor by actually hosting the event as he did when a South African company introduced a new method for cold glazing ceramics. Stop by the Palm Beach Restoration booth on your next trip to the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival and see what’s new this month in the restoration business.

The Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair is located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, FL, 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. Show hours are 12PM – 5PM Friday May 1, 9AM – 5PM Saturday May 2 and 10AM –4:30PM Sunday May 3. Early Admission from 9:00 – 12:00 Friday is $25 and is valid for the entire weekend. Regular adult admission is $7.00 daily, with a 1$ discount coupon for regular adult admission available on the website. Seniors are $6.00 and anyone under 16 is admitted free. There is no